A building on Rice University's campus was evacuated Wednesday afternoon because of an ammonia leak, according to a campus alert.

The Rice University Police Department said that crews are repairing the leak that was on the fourth floor of Dell Butcher Hall that started this afternoon around 1 p.m.

Officials said that no one was injured, said Rice spokesman B.J. Almond.

He said that there was a valve on a tank of ammonia that did not close completely and a small amount went into the chemical exhaust.

Houston Fire department Chief Ruy Lozano said the leak was from a 200-pound cylinder that was in an organic chemistry lab in the building.

He said the firefighters could not determine a specific reason why it leaked.

Two Hazmat units and close to 80 firefighters responded to the scene. The building will reopen after investigators do a wide sweep of the area, Lozano said.

Several campus roads are closed. Campanile Road is closed between entrances 20 and 21 and Alumni Road has been closed between Lab Road and Entrance 20.

-- Chronicle photographer Cody Duty contributed to this report

View original post here:
Rice University building evacuated after ammonia leak in chemistry lab

(Courtesy photo) University of Utah professor of chemistry Peter Stang, recipient of the 2013 Priestley Medal, the American Chemical Society's highest honor.

U. of Us Peter Stang garners nations top honor for chemistry

University of Utah chemistry professor Peter Stang has earned one of the nations highest honors for a scientist, with the American Chemical Society (ACS) awarding him the 2013 Priestley Medal in recognition of his lifetime achievements in organic chemistry.

The society, the worlds largest scientific group with 164,000 members, highlighted Stangs advances in "supramolecular chemistry," which involves the spontaneous formation of large, complex molecules from pre-designed, simple molecules that Stang compares with building blocks in a Lego toy set. A 43-year faculty member, Stang draws inspiration from Utahs Bryce Canyon in his efforts to understand how organic molecules assemble themselves.

"Nature uses self-assembly because its a very efficient way to build the molecules that are essential for living organisms," he said in a video about his research. "I make small molecules so the pieces recognize each other and come together the right way to make much more complex molecules."

These molecules could lead to targeted drug delivery and improved oil refining, among other technological advances.

"I am exceedingly proud of Peter, and this is a fitting tribute to his lifelong dedication to chemistry," said U. President David Pershing, a long-time chemical engineer at the university, in a statement. "He is absolutely committed to the highest research standards and the best education for his students."

Only a few months ago, President Barack Obama awarded Stang the National Medal of Science. The Priestley medal was established in 1922 in honor of 18th-century theologian Joseph Priestley, the scientist who discovered the element oxygen. It is regarded as the highest honor for U.S. chemists.

At least seven Priestley winners in the past 40 years have also won Nobel Prizes. The current Priestley honoree is MITs Robert Langer, a nanotechnology pioneer, while the U.s Henry Eyring won the honor in 1975.

This year, the ASC also inducted Stang and U. department chairman Henry White as fellows. Stang credited his students and post-doctorate students who actually carried out his experiments over the years.

Read the rest here:
U. of U’s Peter Stang garners nation’s top honor for chemistry

(Courtesy photo) University of Utah professor of chemistry Peter Stang, recipient of the 2013 Priestley Medal, the American Chemical Society's highest honor.

U. of Us Peter Stang garners nations top honor for chemistry

University of Utah chemistry professor Peter Stang has earned one of the nations highest honors for a scientist, with the American Chemical Society (ACS) awarding him the 2013 Priestley Medal in recognition of his lifetime achievements in organic chemistry.

The society, the worlds largest scientific group with 164,000 members, highlighted Stangs advances in "supramolecular chemistry," which involves the spontaneous formation of large, complex molecules from pre-designed, simple molecules that Stang compares with building blocks in a Lego toy set. A 43-year faculty member, Stang draws inspiration from Utahs Bryce Canyon in his efforts to understand how organic molecules assemble themselves.

"Nature uses self-assembly because its a very efficient way to build the molecules that are essential for living organisms," he said in a video about his research. "I make small molecules so the pieces recognize each other and come together the right way to make much more complex molecules."

These molecules could lead to targeted drug delivery and improved oil refining, among other technological advances.

"I am exceedingly proud of Peter, and this is a fitting tribute to his lifelong dedication to chemistry," said U. President David Pershing, a long-time chemical engineer at the university, in a statement. "He is absolutely committed to the highest research standards and the best education for his students."

Only a few months ago, President Barack Obama awarded Stang the National Medal of Science. The Priestley medal was established in 1922 in honor of 18th-century theologian Joseph Priestley, the scientist who discovered the element oxygen. It is regarded as the highest honor for U.S. chemists.

At least seven Priestley winners in the past 40 years have also won Nobel Prizes. The current Priestley honoree is MITs Robert Langer, a nanotechnology pioneer, while the U.s Henry Eyring won the honor in 1975.

This year, the ASC also inducted Stang and U. department chairman Henry White as fellows. Stang credited his students and post-doctorate students who actually carried out his experiments over the years.

View post:
U. of Utah’s Peter Stang garners nation’s top honor for chemistry

Priestley Medal winner Peter J. Stang. Credit: University of Utah

SALT LAKE CITY, July 23 (UPI) -- A University of Utah organic chemist recently given a National Medal of Science by President Obama has won chemistry's highest honor, the school says.

Organic chemist Peter J. Stang has won the American Chemical Society's 2013 Priestley Medal, said to be the highest honor from the world's largest scientific group, a university release reported.

The medal, considered a lifetime achievement award for chemists, was given in recognition of Stang's "cutting-edge research that has had far-reaching implications for many areas of science, including drug development and more efficient ways to produce gasoline and home heating oil."

The 164,000-member ACS announced the honor July 20.

"It is humbling to be listed among the distinguished previous recipients," said Stang, a Utah professor of chemistry whose family fled Hungary when he was a teenager after the Communist takeover in 1956.

The Priestley Medal, first awarded in 1922, is named for British chemist Joseph Priestley (1733-1804), whose discovery of oxygen in 1774 explained why and how things burn, and proved air was made of a mixture of gases.

Stang, who became a naturalized citizen in 1962, has served as editor of the Journal of the American Chemical Society since 2002.

More here:
Chemistry award goes to Univ. of Utah prof

ScienceDaily (July 23, 2012) Scientists have discovered a potential cause of Earth's "icehouse climate" cooling trend of the past 45 million years. It has everything to do with the chemistry of the world's oceans.

"Seawater chemistry is characterized by long phases of stability, which are interrupted by short intervals of rapid change," says geoscientist Ulrich Wortmann of the University of Toronto, lead author of a paper reporting the results and published this week in the journal Science.

"We've established a new framework that helps us better interpret evolutionary trends and climate change over long periods of time. The study focuses on the past 130 million years, but similar interactions have likely occurred through the past 500 million years."

Wortmann and co-author Adina Paytan of the University of California Santa Cruz point to the collision between India and Eurasia approximately 50 million years ago as one example of an interval of rapid change.

This collision enhanced dissolution of the most extensive belt of water-soluble gypsum on Earth, stretching from Oman to Pakistan and well into western India. Remnants of the collision are exposed in the Zagros Mountains in western Iran.

The dissolution or creation of such massive gypsum deposits changes the sulfate content of the ocean, say the scientists, affecting the amount of sulfate aerosols in the atmosphere and thus climate.

"We propose that times of high sulfate concentrations in ocean water correlate with global cooling, just as times of low concentrations correspond with greenhouse [warmer] periods," says Paytan.

"When India and Eurasia collided, it caused dissolution of ancient salt deposits, which resulted in drastic changes in seawater chemistry."

That may have led to the end of the Eocene epoch--the warmest period of the modern-day Cenozoic era--and the transition from a greenhouse to an icehouse climate. "It culminated in the beginning of the rapid expansion of the Antarctic ice sheet," says Paytan.

Canada's Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council supports Wortmann's research and the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) supports Paytan research.

The rest is here:
Ancient alteration of seawater chemistry linked with past climate change

Space shuttle view of Earth's "gypsum belt," which likely changed seawater chemistry. Credit: NASA

WASHINGTON, July 23 (UPI) -- An alteration of seawater chemistry caused by a continental collision 50 million years ago has been linked with past climate changes, researchers say.

"Seawater chemistry is characterized by long phases of stability, which are interrupted by short intervals of rapid change," geoscientist Ulrich Wortmann of the University of Toronto said.

Wortmann and co-author Adina Paytan of the University of California Santa Cruz cite the collision between India and Eurasia about 50 million years ago as one example of an interval of rapid change caused by a change in ocean chemistry.

The collision sped up the dissolution of the most extensive belt of water-soluble gypsum on Earth, stretching from Oman to Pakistan and well into western India, they said.

The dissolving of massive gypsum deposits changed the sulfate content of the ocean, the researchers said, affecting the amount of sulfate aerosols in the atmosphere and thus climate.

"We propose that times of high sulfate concentrations in ocean water correlate with global cooling, just as times of low concentrations correspond with greenhouse [warmer] periods," Paytan said

"Abrupt changes in seawater composition are a new twist in our understanding of the links among ocean chemistry, plate tectonics, climate and evolution," said Candace Major, program director in the Division of Ocean Sciences of the National Science Foundation, which supported the research.

The rest is here:
Colliding continents affected climate

Public release date: 22-Jul-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Michael Bernstein m_bernstein@acs.org 202-872-6042 American Chemical Society

WASHINGTON, July 23, 2012 Peter J. Stang, Ph.D., distinguished professor of chemistry at the University of Utah and editor of the Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS), has been named winner of the 2013 Priestley Medal by the American Chemical Society (ACS). It is the highest honor bestowed by the world's largest scientific society.

The award recognizes Stang's cutting-edge research that has had far-reaching implications for many areas of science, including drug development and more efficient ways to produce gasoline and home heating oil. The annual award includes a gold medallion designed to commemorate the work of Joseph Priestley, who lived from 1733 to 1804, and is best remembered for his 1774 discovery of the gas that would later be named "oxygen."

"Stang is a pre-eminent organic chemist with an international reputation and seminal, creative contributions to a broad spectrum of chemistry," said Gabor Somorjai, Ph.D., of the University of California, Berkeley. Somorjai nominated Stang for this award.

Last year, Stang won a National Medal of Science, which is the highest U.S. honor for a scientist or engineer. He received the award from President Barack Obama in a White House ceremony, where he was honored "for his creative contributions to the development of organic supramolecular chemistry and for his outstanding and unique record of public service."

Stang has pioneered the field of supramolecular chemistry, which is the study of how molecules come together and build new substances with complex 2-D and 3-D architectures. The molecules could have uses as drug-delivery vehicles and as key players in making oil refining faster and more efficient.

"It's like a Lego set with individual building units," said Stang. "You can make complicated structures and systems."

Stang has been editor of JACS, the ACS flagship journal, since 2002. As editor, Stang revitalized and enhanced JACS, culminating in an increase in citations and its Impact Factor. The most-cited journal in chemistry, JACS has received 408,307 total citations and has an Impact Factor of 9.907, as reported in the 2011 Journal Citation Reports by Thomson Reuters. JACS is one of more than 40 ACS peer-reviewed journals.

"For many years, Stang has been a force to be reckoned with in the ACS," said Harry B. Gray, Ph.D., who is at the California Institute of Technology. "He brought new ideas to make sure our flagship journal continues to attract the most important work in chemistry. He has done a fabulous job, and chemistry is better for it."

Originally posted here:
American Chemical Society's highest honor goes to pioneer of 'Lego-like' molecules

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/jmmgkb/the_chemistry_of_h) has announced the addition of John Wiley and Sons Ltd's new book "The Chemistry of Hydroxylamines, Oximes and Hydroxamic Acids. Patai's Chemistry of Functional Groups" to their offering.

Focusing on an important class of compounds in organic synthesis, this text features contributions by leading experts, and delivers the quality expected from the Patai Series.

Key Topics Covered:

1. Some intrinsic features of hydroxylamines, oximes and hydroxamic acids: Integration of theory and experiment

2. Structural analysis of hydroxylamines, oximes and hydroxamic acids: Trends and patterns

3. The organic thermochemistry of hydroxylamines, oximes, hydroxamic acids and their derivatives

4. NMR spectra of hydroxylamines, oximes and hydroxamic acids

5. Synthesis of hydroxylamines

6. Synthesis of oximes and hydroxamic acids

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Research and Markets: The Chemistry of Hydroxylamines, Oximes and Hydroxamic Acids. Patai's Chemistry of Functional ...

Nobody likes having their holiday or picnic ruined by insect bites, but these are minor irritations compared to some of the diseases the biting blighters can pass on. Phil Robinson looks at the chemistry behind the widely used insect repellent DEET in this week’s Chemistry in its element podcast.

                  

Source:
http://prospect.rsc.org/blogs/cw/?feed=rss2

This is a satellite view of the Zagros mountain belt in western Iran. The range forms part of the most extensive belt of water-soluble gypsum on Earth, stretching from Oman to Pakistan, and well into Western India. Scientists suggest that the dissolution of ancient salt deposits caused drastic changes in seawater chemistry, which may have triggered long-term global cooling. Credit: US Geological Survey/Center for Earth Resources Observation and Science

Humans get most of the blame for climate change, with little attention paid to the contribution of other natural forces. Now, scientists from the University of Toronto and the University of California Santa Cruz are shedding light on one potential cause of the cooling trend of the past 45 million years that has everything to do with the chemistry of the world's oceans.

"Seawater chemistry is characterized by long phases of stability, which are interrupted by short intervals of rapid change," says Professor Ulrich Wortmann in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Toronto, lead author of a study to be published in Science this week. "We've established a new framework that helps us better interpret evolutionary trends and climate change over long periods of time. The study focuses on the past 130 million years, but similar interactions have likely occurred through the past 500 million years."

Wortmann and co-author Adina Paytan of the Institute of Marine Sciences at the University of California Santa Cruz point to the collision between India and Eurasia approximately 50 million years ago as one example of an interval of rapid change. This collision enhanced dissolution of the most extensive belt of water-soluble gypsum on Earth, stretching from Oman to Pakistan, and well into Western India remnants of which are well exposed in the Zagros mountains.

Enlarge

This is the Zagros mountain belt in western Iran as seen from the space shuttle Atlantis. The range forms part of the most extensive belt of water-soluble gypsum on Earth, stretching from Oman to Pakistan, and well into Western India. Scientists suggest that the dissolution of ancient salt deposits caused drastic changes in seawater chemistry, which may have triggered long-term global cooling. Credit: Photo courtesy of NASA

"When India and Eurasia collided, it caused dissolution of ancient salt deposits which resulted in drastic changes in seawater chemistry," Paytan continues. "This may have led to the demise of the Eocene epoch the warmest period of the modern-day Cenozoic era and the transition from a greenhouse to icehouse climate, culminating in the beginning of the rapid expansion of the Antarctic ice sheet."

The researchers combined data of past seawater sulfur composition, assembled by Paytan in 2004, with Wortmann's recent discovery of the strong link between marine sulfate concentrations and carbon and phosphorus cycling. They were able to explain the seawater sulfate isotope record as a result of massive changes to the accumulation and weathering of gyspum the mineral form of hydrated calcium sulfate.

"While it has been known for a long time that gyspum deposits can be formed and destroyed rapidly, the effect of these processes on seawater chemistry has been overlooked," says Wortmann. "The idea represents a paradigm shift in our understanding of how ocean chemistry changes over time and how these changes are linked to climate."

More information: "Rapid Variability of Seawater Chemistry over the Past 130 Million Years," Science, 2012.

Excerpt from:
Researchers connect seawater chemistry with climate change, evolution

This is a guest post from one of our judges for the Chemistry World Science Communication Competition

Communicating science, like any kind of journalism, typically has a formula. There are good reasons for this. Readers need to be able to get to the news very quickly, often in the first sentence and usually at least in the first paragraph. They also need to be told what is really new – not generalities such as ‘Researchers have developed an amazing new material/drug/device’, but what really distinguishes the new work from what has gone before – and most of all, why they should care. In attempting to get this right, I always try to repeat to myself the mantra that I learnt from the veteran science writer Tim Radford: ‘No one has to read this stuff.’ The trick is to make them want to read: not with false promises, hype, or sensationalism, but with smart, concise, and perhaps witty writing.

OK, so much for the formula. Rules are, of course, there to be broken – but only if you have a very good reason to do so. A rigid adherence to tradition can be the death of good writing. I don’t advocate gimmicks for their own sake, but there are doubtless more valid ways to grab a reader’s attention than with a first sentence that basically tells the whole story. You might want to use the first paragraph to describe a compelling first-hand scene or encounter, or to pose a tantalising question. To my mind, the winners of this competition might simply do a great job with the standard ‘news story’ template, or might surprise us with a totally new approach. Don’t feel obliged to do either – just think about what will make the piece work.

Be wary of words that strain for effect. Readers won’t necessarily believe that what you’re describing is ‘amazing’, ‘revolutionary’ or ‘gob-smacking’ just because you say it is. Words like this have to earn their place, and usually there are better alternatives anyway. When the writing is good, it doesn’t need to be pumped up with adjectives on steroids; in fact, they usually detract. At the same time, be wary of falling into science-speak. It’s easy enough to avoid obvious jargon, harder to steer clear of scientists’ habitual turns of phrase, such as the passive voice or comments such as ‘The crystal structure showed that…’. When things get a bit technical, it’s often best not to try to explain everything – the trick may be to persuade the reader that they know, rather than reminding them of what they don’t.

Of course, there’s no substitute for a good story. These aren’t easy to find, so take your time. It could be something surprising, or important, or fun, or perhaps even shocking or disturbing. Whatever the case, you have to be clear what the story is, which means being able to express it in a sentence. You might not use that sentence, but you have to be able to write it. Now have fun!

Philip Ball is a science writer based in London, UK

Find out about the Chemistry World Science Communication Competition and submit your entry here.

                  

Source:
http://prospect.rsc.org/blogs/cw/?feed=rss2

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/3tdb7f/telomerases_chemi) has announced the addition of John Wiley and Sons Ltd's new book "Telomerases. Chemistry, Biology and Clinical Applications" to their offering.

This book is a comprehensive and up-to-date review and evaluation of the contemporary status of telomerase research. Chapters in this volume cover the basic structure, mechanisms, and diversity of the essential and regulatory subunits of telomerase. Other topics include telomerase biogenesis, transcriptional and post-translational regulation, off-telomere functions of telomerase and the role of telomerase in cellular senescence, aging and cancer. Its relationship to retrotransposons, a class of mobile genetic elements that shares similarities with telomerase and serves as telomeres in selected organisms, are also reviewed.

Key Topics Covered:

1 The Telomerase Complex: An Overview

Johanna Mancini and Chantal Autexier

2 Telomerase RNA: Structure, Function, and Molecular Mechanisms

Yehuda Tzfati and Julian J.-L. Chen

3 TERT Structure, Function, and Molecular Mechanisms

Emmanuel Skordalakes and Neal Lue

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Research and Markets: Telomerases. Chemistry, Biology and Clinical Applications 2012 Book Features Topics such as Off ...

Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart may be one of Hollywood's most private couples, but Rob just couldn't help spilling the beans on falling for Kristen in a recent interview, revealing he knew they would have amazing chemistry before they even met.

ROB AND KRISTEN: ROMANCE IN PICS

Speaking to E!'s etalk Canada, Robert Pattinson told how he knew before he met Kristen Stewart that they would instantly hit it off, after watching one of her old movies.

'I knew before I met her [that we had chemistry],' Rob laughed, to which Kristen giggled, 'Yeah, me too.'

Referring to seeing 14 year-old Kristen star in an adventure movie, he continued: 'I was watching Zathura one day when she was frozen.'

Far from keeping quiet, usually shy Kristenpiped up: 'When you meet people that you want to embark on a creative endeavour with, it's like so intense and exciting it's palpable.' Looking to R-Patzbeside her, she added: "You're like, 'It's him!"'

Now that's love.

At Comic-Con last week Robert Pattinson opened up on his Twilight beauty secret, revealing he was asked to don a ginger wig to re-shoot some key scenes for the upcoming final instalment of the Breaking Dawn movie.

Rob said: 'We had to do the re-shoots on [Breaking Dawn - Part 2] a few weeks ago, and it was the first time I had to wear a wig.

His advice? 'Don't succumb to peer pressure and start wearing a wig like everybody else in this cast.'

More here:
Robert Pattinson talks 'chemistry' with Kristen Stewart

ScienceDaily (July 19, 2012) Humans get most of the blame for climate change, with little attention paid to the contribution of other natural forces. Now, scientists from the University of Toronto and the University of California Santa Cruz are shedding light on one potential cause of the cooling trend of the past 45 million years that has everything to do with the chemistry of the world's oceans.

"Seawater chemistry is characterized by long phases of stability, which are interrupted by short intervals of rapid change," says Professor Ulrich Wortmann in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Toronto, lead author of a study to be published in Science this week. "We've established a new framework that helps us better interpret evolutionary trends and climate change over long periods of time. The study focuses on the past 130 million years, but similar interactions have likely occurred through the past 500 million years."

Wortmann and co-author Adina Paytan of the Institute of Marine Sciences at the University of California Santa Cruz point to the collision between India and Eurasia approximately 50 million years ago as one example of an interval of rapid change. This collision enhanced dissolution of the most extensive belt of water-soluble gypsum on Earth, stretching from Oman to Pakistan, and well into Western India -- remnants of which are well exposed in the Zagros mountains.

The authors suggest that the dissolution or creation of such massive gyspum deposits will change the sulfate content of the ocean, and that this will affect the amount of sulfate aerosols in the atmosphere and thus climate. "We propose that times of high sulfate concentrations in ocean water correlate with global cooling, just as times of low concentration correspond with greenhouse periods," says Paytan.

"When India and Eurasia collided, it caused dissolution of ancient salt deposits which resulted in drastic changes in seawater chemistry," Paytan continues. "This may have led to the demise of the Eocene epoch -- the warmest period of the modern-day Cenozoic era -- and the transition from a greenhouse to icehouse climate, culminating in the beginning of the rapid expansion of the Antarctic ice sheet."

The researchers combined data of past seawater sulfur composition, assembled by Paytan in 2004, with Wortmann's recent discovery of the strong link between marine sulfate concentrations and carbon and phosphorus cycling. They were able to explain the seawater sulfate isotope record as a result of massive changes to the accumulation and weathering of gyspum -- the mineral form of hydrated calcium sulfate.

"While it has been known for a long time that gyspum deposits can be formed and destroyed rapidly, the effect of these processes on seawater chemistry has been overlooked," says Wortmann. "The idea represents a paradigm shift in our understanding of how ocean chemistry changes over time and how these changes are linked to climate."

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Scientists connect seawater chemistry with ancient climate change and evolution

MOORESVILLE -

Pinning down Olympic dreams is an inexact science - even for a chemistry teacher.

Mooresville High School's Zach Errett has been grappling with his love of wrestling since he was wearing the smallest of tights.

As a youngster he realized there wouldn't be any Olympic medals in his future, so he decided that he could get to the games another way.

"I started refereeing when I was in middle school and started working my way up," said Errett. "So to kind of be able to make it there and be a part of the experience and to be around wrestling and be involved with some of the best wrestlers in the world, it's really just a tremendous honor to be a part of that as once a former athlete in that sport."

From middle school to junior high, through high school and college, Errett hones his officiating skills. Forthe lastten years he's been a chemistry teacher and the head wrestling coach at Mooresville High School. At the same time he's also become one of the best wrestling referees in the world.

This summer his Olympic plan paid off. Errett is one of onlythree officials from the United States who will work the summer games in London.

"To be selected was a great honor just because there have been so many great referees that have worked the Olympics along with some great referees that have been really close and not able to make the Olympics," Errett said.

The wrestling team at Mooresville never doubted their coach.

Says senior Brent McCreary, "I think it's a really good opportunity for him I know he's worked almost all of his life to get there. I've actually reffed with him a few times at some local tournaments and he really takes pride in his work and it's a good opportunity for him."

Continue reading here:
Mooresville chemistry teacher to referee wrestling at London Olympics

Twice in the last week, the topic of chemistry has been raised in regards to disappointing seasons.

Seth Curry gave this quote to reporters at the NC Pro-Am: The biggest thing is just trying to be more of a family. Get to know each other off the court. This summer weve been hanging out a lot more, getting to know each other. It seems like everybody likes each other this year, so it should be a fun year.

The bolded section found its way onto to twitter, however, which resulted in the college hoops blogosphere coming down hard on Austin Rivers. Obviously, the thinking went, Curry was taking a subtle shot Rivers.

Down in Memphis, rising junior Chris Crawford had this to say to the Commercial Appeals beat-writer Jason Smith:

We had a lot of like, you know it was some people that separated. Our chemistry wasnt really there, Crawford said. This year, everybody is talking to each other. We want to be a better team. Everybody is hanging out more. Everybody is trying to be one instead of in our separate groups.

Chemistry is important, and its not just with basketball. Its outside of basketball, too. Campus life, being together, going to the movies or anything, youve got to have that kind of bond.

Team chemistry is one of those vague terms that seem more like a press conference cliche than an actual issue. But rest assured, it is vital to a teams success. Whether it is role players accepting the fact they are role players, team leaders picking up struggling teammates instead of putting them down, or simply liking each other off the court, chemistry can be a deciding factor for a season.

Ask UCLA.

Or UConn. Or Pitt.Or Mississippi State.

Or, for that matter, Missouri. Frank Haiths ability to unify that team and get them to buy into the system he wanted to run was a huge reason the Tigers were so successful.

View original post here:
Thoughts on team chemistry

By Jaclyn Reiss, Globe Correspondent

Boston firefighters and a hazmat team spent more than two hours testing the air at a Boston College chemistry building Sunday night after a strange odor was reported, but found no culprit, fire officials said.

The incident is the third time in just over a year that Boston firefighters have responded to the colleges Merkert Chemistry Center.

Students noticed a strange smell after entering a third-floor lab of the chemistry building, located at 2609 Beacon St. in Brighton, around 6:45 p.m. The students called Boston College Police, who notified the Boston Fire Department.

Fire officials declared the incident a level-three hazmat response, which means the firefighter entry team were fully suited up when they entered the building, said fire department spokesman Steve MacDonald.

However, after three different hazmat team entries, all tests came back negative for anything hazardous. No one was injured.

These are students used to being in chemistry labs, so for them to smell a strange odor is of course cause for concern, MacDonald said. They did the right thing.

Crews had cleared out by around 9:15 p.m., and the building was turned back over to to the college.

BCs own safety team dealing with the lab on a daily basis will check it further, but everything on our end came back negative, MacDonald said. They have lab safety managers and a whole team of people who deal with things like this.

City Public Heath will also check the building again Monday morning, he said.

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Hazmat situation at Boston College chemistry lab over after fire department finds no danger

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/m7b92s/clinical_chemistry) has announced the addition of the "Clinical Chemistry Market Report & Forecast (2012 - 2015): Global Analysis" report to their offering.

Valued at more than US$ 9 Billion in 2011, Clinical Chemistry market is likely to grow moderately from 2012 to 2015. In Clinical Chemistry Tests segment: Toxicology, Hemoglobin and Cholesterol testing contributed more than 40% of market revenues in 2011, and in future also they are likely to dominate the market till 2015. Faecal Occult Blood testing market, Cardiac Enzyme testing market and Prothrombin Time/International Normalized Ratio (PT/INR) testing market all these three testing markets are expected to grow with double digit CAGR from 2012 - 1015.

In countries analysis segment, United States and Europe together holds more than 85% market share in 2011. But by 2015 China is expected to nearly double its market revenue from 2011; thus reducing the market share of Europe in worldwide Clinical Chemistry market by 2015. Brazil Clinical Chemistry market is bigger than India but it is expected to grow with a CAGR of single digit compared to double digit of India from 2012 - 2015. In the coming years, the Clinical Chemistry market will undertake important change. These changes will be caused by the convergence of new and more stringent regulations, advances in diagnostic technologies, automation, IT and intensifying competition.

Renub Research report entitled Clinical Chemistry Market Report & Forecast (2012 - 2015): Global Analysis provides a comprehensive assessment of the nine clinical chemistry tests market & reviews, analyses and projects clinical chemistry market for global and seven countries market. The report also provides market landscape and market share information in the clinical chemistry market. The report also entails major drivers and challenges of clinical chemistry market.

Tests Covered

- Blood Gas & Electrolyte Test

- Cardiac Enzyme Test

- Faecal Occult Blood Test

- Drugs of Abuse Test

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Research and Markets: Clinical Chemistry Market Report & Forecast (2012 - 2015): Global Analysis - China Set to Double ...

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/g85wnz/analytical_techniq) has announced the addition of John Wiley and Sons Ltd's new book "Analytical Techniques for Clinical Chemistry. Methods and Applications" to their offering.

This resource details the role played by analytical techniques in clinical research, from fundamental studies to practical applications. Chapters report on the progress made in developing fit-for-purpose instrumentation, and identify continuing challenges for laboratory analytical techniques. The book opens with an overview of the regulatory framework around clinical lab analysis and then details applications including biomonitoring, diagnostics, food quality, biomarkers, drugs, and forensics. This handy reference provides an essential go-to while helping laboratory chemists reduce everyday problems and understand standardized lab techniques.

Key Topics Covered:

1. Good Clinical Practice Principles: Legal background and applicability

2. Clinical chemistry and the quest for quality

3. Uncertainty in clinical chemistry measurements including pre-analytical variables

4. The role and significance of reference values in the identification and evaluation of trace elements from diet

5. Sample collection, storage, and pre-treatment in clinical chemistry

6. Metal toxicology in clinical, forensic, and chemical pathology

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A member of RSC staff (and Chemistry World fan) recently suggested to me that it’s been 100 years since the idea of solar fuels was born. His evidence? A paper by Italian chemist Giacomo Luigi Ciamician published in Science on 27 September 1912. In it, Ciamician proposes how we might harness the enormous power of the Sun to produce fuels from plants:

‘Is it possible or, rather, is it conceivable that…the cultivation of plants may be so regulated as to make them produce abundantly such substances as can become sources of energy…? I believe that this is possible.’

Although he doesn’t use the term, Ciamician is clearly talking about biofuels:

‘…it seems quite possible that the production of organic matter may be largely increased… The harvest, dried by the sun, ought to be converted, in the most economical way, entirely into gaseous fuel…’

And from there he goes on to describe artificial photosynthesis:

‘For our purposes the fundamental problem from the technical point of view is how to fix the solar energy through suitable photochemical reactions. To do this it would be sufficient to be able to imitate the assimilating processes of plants.’

The paper covers the use of sunlight to power the production of all kinds of useful compounds, not just fuels. But it’s this idea of capturing energy from the sun – deliberately and directly – to store in chemical form for later use that is arguably its most compelling. The idea falls within a generalised concept of solar power (or solar energy) but can be demarcated from making electricity directly from sunlight, as photovoltaic solar cells do.

And it’s a hot topic today. Earlier this year, the RSC published a report into solar fuels and artificial photosynthesis describing the rapid rate of progress in this area in recent years.

Indeed, the whole paper seems very prescient. Ciamician highlights a widespread and growing dependence on fossil fuels and questions how industry would cope with a sudden and unexpected price spike.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, he makes a few false steps in his comments about biofuels:

‘There is no danger at all of using for industrial purposes land which should be devoted to raising foodstuffs. An approximate calculation shows that on the Earth there is plenty of land for both purposes, especially when the various cultivations are properly intensified and rationally adapted to the conditions of the soil and the climate.’

But to be fair there were fewer than two billion people on the planet back in 1912. Who could have predicted the impact of a four fold increase over the next 100 years?

In predicting how our rampant thirst for energy would lead us to the Sun, Ciamician seems to be peering into the future with remarkable clarity.

Andrew Turley

                  

Source:
http://prospect.rsc.org/blogs/cw/?feed=rss2